The present invention relates to the field of blankets, and particularly blankets for use with newborn infants.
Swaddling clothes effectively simulate the natural cocoon-like environment of the mother""s womb to which newborn babies are accustomed. Therefore, infants are commonly wrapped in swaddling clothes for warmth and comfort and to protect them from injury
It is desirable that a blanket used for swaddling fit snugly around the infant for maximum effectiveness, yet be easily wrapped around the infant and easily removable when necessary. A common experience is for a swaddling cloth to unwrap into a disorganized aggregation of loose flaps, requiring that it be completely unfolded and wrapped again. Thus, design challenges exist to maximize comfort and ease of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,576 to Gramme discloses a generally T-shaped swaddling blanket having left-hand and right-hand wrapping flaps and a downwardly extending lower wrapping flap. Elastically gathered transverse regions are provided in the central portion of the T-shaped swaddling blanket to enhance the snug fit of the blanket about the infant. The background discussion of the ""576 Gramme patent contains a useful analysis of swaddling cloth designs disclosed in other U.S. Patents. This background discussion is incorporated herein and should be consulted to put the present invention in proper context. None of the prior art discloses the advantages of the present invention as discussed in detail below and which it is believed represents a patentable improvement in the art of swaddling cloths.
In accordance with the present invention, a blanket for swaddling an infant is provided that includes a front panel and a back panel that form an interior compartment for receiving the infant. The lower edges wrap around the feet of the infant and the upper edges separate from each other to create an opening through which the infant can be positioned within the interior compartment with the head of the infant exposed. The right side edges of the front and back panels together form an angular extent such that the width of the front and back panels narrow adjacent their lower edges. The angular extent of the right side edges also creates an upward angular folding direction for the left-hand folding section of the blanket. The angular folding direction is oriented generally perpendicular to the angular extent of the right side edges when the right-hand folding section of the blanket is folded over the front side of the infant. The left-hand folding section has sufficient width for the left side edges to wrap around to the back side of the infant when the left-hand folding section is folded over both the front side of the infant and the right-hand folding section.
According to an aspect of the invention, the narrow width defined by the angular extent of the front and back panels has a width no greater than sufficient to allow the right-hand folding section, when folded over into a first fold position, to lie over but not extend beyond the front of the infant. In the first fold position, the right side edges of the front and back panels align with and over one side of the front of the infant.
According to another aspect of the invention, when the narrow width defined by the angular extent of the front and back panels is folded over the front of the infant in the first fold position, the right side edges of the front and back panels also align with the left side fold line for the left-hand folding section.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the left side fold line is oriented at an angle to the centerline, the left side fold line being closer to the centerline adjacent the lower edges and farther from the centerline adjacent the upper edges, so that the left side fold line is generally parallel to the angular extent of the right side edges when the right-hand folding section is folded at the right side fold line in the first fold position.
According to yet still another aspect of the invention, the right side fold line is oriented at an angle to the centerline, the right side fold line being closer to the centerline adjacent the lower edges and farther from the centerline adjacent the upper edges, so that the right-hand folding section folds about the right side fold line at an upward angle to the centerline.
According to yet still another aspect of the invention, the left side edges include an upper angular portion proximate the upper edges of the front and back panels, the upper angular portion adapted to align transversely of the orientation of the infant and perpendicular to the centerline when the infant is positioned within the interior compartment, so that when the left-hand folding section of the blanket is folded over the infant, the upper angular portion thereof can be positioned under the chin of the infant.